Spain's Power Crisis: Faulty Systems or Faulty Policies?

Spain experienced its worst blackout, halting transportation and sparking political controversy. While initial blame focused on solar power dependency, authorities are investigating malfunction in substations. The grid operator denied renewable energy fault, while opponents criticized low investment and called for independent inquiry. Spain aims to upgrade grid stability.

Spain's grid operator denied on Wednesday that reliance on solar power was responsible for the nation's worst blackout, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces mounting pressure to clarify the situation.

Amid attempts to return life to normal following the outage that disrupted trains, airports, and elevators, Sanchez's critics have attributed the issue to insufficient investment in a grid increasingly dependent on solar and wind power. Sanchez announced a government probe and sought clarity from energy companies linked to the grid, while not discarding the cyber attack theory, which REE dismissed.

The Spanish government is managing fallout from recent devastating floods alongside the blackout. REE identified two incidents in southwestern Spain as possible causes but is yet to pinpoint their exact location. In defense of renewable energy, REE's Beatriz Corredor stated it functions as reliably as conventional power, with no intention of resigning.

The grid, before crashing, saw solar energy at 53%, wind at nearly 11%, and nuclear and gas at 15% of electricity production. Energy Minister Sara Aagesen has demanded exhaustive data from power companies regarding the blackout event when 15GW of generation was lost, severing European connections.

Political opponents accused Sanchez of delaying explanations and protecting REE failures, urging a parliamentary investigation over a government-led one. Opposition leaders called for transparency and collaboration among energy firms to unravel the outage causation.

Energy experts criticized the grid's instability due to inadequate integration of renewable systems, while former REE chairman Jordi Sevilla underscored governmental oversight in rapid nuclear plant decommissioning, emphasizing the necessity for balanced energy planning.

(With inputs from agencies.)